Astroblog

Obscured by Clouds. The rough and ready blog of a cloud benighted biologist and amateur astronomer. Astroblog will cover my interests in astronomy, biology and Life, the Universe and Everything.

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

The Sky This Week - Thursday March 15 to Thursday March 22

The New Moon is Saturday, March 17. Venus and Mercury are low in the twilight. Venus is close to the crescent Moon on the 19th. Jupiter is now rising in the late evening
skies but is still best in the morning.
Mars,
bright Jupiter and Saturn form a line together with the bright stars
Antares and
Spica in the morning skies. Mars closes in on Saturn. Saturn is in binocular range of some interesting nebula and the globular
cluster M22. Mars is in between the Trifid and Lagoon Nebulae on the 20th.

The New Moon is Saturday, March 17.

Evening twilight sky on Monday March 19 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 19:54 ACDST (30 minutes after sunset). Venus and the Moon are nearby low in the twilight, with Mercury almost on the horizon.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent
local
time (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Venus and Mercury are very low in the twilight. You will need a flat
unobscured horizon, like the ocean or the desert. Venus is now visible
to the unaided eye (just) from 15 minutes after sunset andrelatively easy to see 30 minutes after sunset, but you will need
binoculars to see Mercury low in the horizon murk. By the end of the week Mercury is lost t view. On the 19th Venus is near the thin crescent Moon with Mercury just above the horizon.

Evening sky on Saturday March 17 looking East as seen from Adelaide
at 23:00 ACDST Jupiter is just rising above the horizon.

The inset is a simulated telescopic view of Jupiter on March 20 at 1:0
ACDST, with Io and its shadow on the face of Jupiter.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (click to embiggen).

Morning sky on Tuesday March 20 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at
5:34 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Mars is moving towards Saturn
and is between the trifid and Lagoon nebulae. Saturn is coming closer to the bright globular cluster M22.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (90 minutes before sunrise).

Venus
is low in the evening twilight. and is still very difficult to see,
being just four finger-widths above the horizon 30 minutes after
sunset. It is bright enough to be just visible 15 minutes after sunset,
but it is easier to find it in binoculars first. On the 19th Venus is close to the crescent Moon

Mercury is very low in the evening twilight just to the right of Venus.
You will need a flat unobscured horizon, like the ocean or the desert,
and binoculars, to be able to see Mercury low on the horizon.

Jupiteris
rising well before midnight, but it is still best to view in the morning
sky, where it is high above the northern horizon. There are some good Jovian Moon events this week.

Mars is in Sagittarius the archer. Mars is moving towards
the Triffid and Lagoon nebulae and Saturn. From the16th Mars and the Triffid and Lagoon nebulae are visible together in binoculars. It is between the two nebulae on the 20th and visible in wide field telescope eyepieces. Scanning with binoculars around
Mars and Saturn will be very rewarding now the Moon is out of the way.

Saturn
climbs higher in the morning sky. It is within binocular range of
several attractive clusters and nebula. It is coming closer to the bright globular cluster M22 and the pair are visible in binoculars and wide field telescope eyepieces.

Monday, March 12, 2018

Seeing Venus in the twilight (11 March 2018)

Venus seen in the twilight above the ocean at 20:08 ACDST. Taken with a Canon IXUS 400 ASA 1/20 minute exposure. Click to embiggen to see Venus clearly.

Enlarged crop of the area to show location of Mercury. Venus uis the bright dot above Mercury

I have been able to see Venus for about a week (more due to the weather and clouds than due to its actual visibility), and yesterday was a good opportunity to see Venus and Mercury together. Sadly, although Veus was readily visible to the unaided eye 30 minutes after sunset, Mercury is still invisible without binoculars (it did {just] show up in the photos). Venus will become more prominent over the next weeks, with a nice encounter with the thin crescent Moon on the 19th. Mercury never gets better this month.

Wednesday, March 07, 2018

The Sky This Week - Thursday March 8 to Thursday March 15

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday, March 9. Venus and Mercury are low in the twilight. Mars,
bright Jupiter and Saturn form a line together with the bright stars
Antares and
Spica in the morning skies. Jupiter is now rising in the late evening
skies.
Saturn is in binocular range of some interesting nebula and the globular
cluster M22. The Moon is close to Mars on the 10th, Mars and Saturn on the 11th then Saturn on the 12th.

The Last Quarter Moon is Friday, March 9. The Moon is at apogee, when it is furthest form the Eath on March 11.

Evening twilight sky on Saturday March 10 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 20:07 ACDST (30 minutes after sunset). Venus and Mercury are close together low in the twilight.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent
local
time (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Venus and Mercury are very low in the twilight. You will need a flat
unobscured horizon, like the ocean or the desert. Venus is now visible to the unaided eye (just) from 15 minutes after sunset but you will need
binoculars, to see Mercury low in the horizon murk.

Evening sky on Saturday March 10 looking East as seen from Adelaide
at 23:30 ACDST Jupiter is just rising above the horizon.

The inset is a simulated telescopic view of Jupiter on March 11 at 5:27 ACDST, with Ganymede, Io and their shadows on the face of Jupiter.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (click to embiggen).

Morning sky on Sunday March 11 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at
5:27 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Mars is moving towards Saturn
and the trifid nebula and Saturn is coming closer to the bright globular cluster M22. The Moon lies between Mars and Saturn.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (90 minutes before sunrise).

Venus is low in the evening twilight. and is still very difficult to see,
being just three finger-widths above the horizon 30 minutes after sunset. It is bright enough to be just visible 15 minutes after sunset, but it is easier to find it in binoculars first.

Mercury is very low in the evening twilight just to the right of Venus. You will need a flat unobscured horizon, like the ocean or the desert,
and probably binoculars, to be able to see Mercury low on the horizon.

Jupiteris
rising before midnight, but it is still best to view in the morning
sky, where it is high above the northern horizon. There are some good Jovian Moon events this week.

Mars
is moving down the body of Scorpius the scorpion. Mars moves away from
Antares
(the rival of Mars) over the week. Mars is moving towards
the Triffid and Lagoon nebulae and Saturn. Scanning with binoculars around
Mars and Saturn will be very rewarding once the Moon is out of the way. The Waning Moon is close to Mars on the 10th.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky. It is within binocular range of
several attractive clusters and nebula. It is just within range of the Lagoon and Triffid nebulae and
is coming closer to the bright globular cluster M22. The waning Moon is close to Mars and Saturn on the 11th then Saturn on the 12th.

Saturday, March 03, 2018

Southern Skywatch March 2018 edition is now out!

The eastern morning sky on March 30, 90 minutes before sunrise showing
Saturn and the Mars close, Inset shows Saturn, Mars and M22 though
Binoculars. (similar views will be seen Australia wide 90 minutes before
sunrise, click to embiggen).

Tuesday, February 27, 2018

The Sky This Week - Thursday March 1 to Thursday March 8

The Full Moon is Friday, March 2. Venus and Mercury are close together low in the twilight on March 4. Mars,
bright Jupiter and Saturn form a line together with the bright stars
Antares and
Spica in the morning skies. Jupiter is now rising in the late evening skies and the Moon is close to Jupiter on the 7th (and morning 8th). Saturn is in binocular range of some interesting nebula and the globular cluster M22.

The Full Moon is Friday, March 2.

Evening twilight sky on Sunday March 4 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 20:15 ACDST (30 minutes after sunset). Venus and Mercury are close together low in the twilight.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent
local
time (30 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

Venus and Mercury are very low in the twilight. You will need a flat unobscured horizon, like the ocean or the desert, and probably binoculars, to be able to see them both low on the horizon murk.

Evening sky on Wednesday March 7 looking East as seen from Adelaide
at 23:30 ACDST Jupiter is just rising above the horizon, with the waning Moon nearby

The inset is a simulated telescopic view of Jupiter of March 5 at 23:30, with Io just moving off the face of Jupiter.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (click to embiggen).

Morning sky on Saturday March 3 looking north-east as seen from Adelaide at
5:37 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Mars is moving towards Saturn and Saturn is coming closer to the bright globular cluster M22.

The large inset is a
simulated binocular view of Saturn. Saturn is close the globular cluster M22.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (90 minutes before sunrise).

Venus is low in the evening twilight. and is still very difficult to see,
being just two finger-widths above the horizon 30 minutes after sunset.

Mercury is very low in the evening twilight just below Venus. You will need a flat unobscured horizon, like the ocean or the desert,
and probably binoculars, to be able to see them both low on the horizon.

Jupiteris rising before midnight, but it is still best to view in the morning sky, where it is high above the northern horizon. The waning Moon vists Jupiter on the evening ot the 7th (morning 8th)

Mars is moving down the body of Scorpius the scorpion. Mars moves away from
Antares
(the rival of Mars) over the week but is still reasonably close to see
the contrasts of the two different red objects. Mars is moving towards the Triffid and Lagoon nebulae and Saturn, and is passing many small faint deep sky objects over the week. Scanning with binoculars around Mars and Saturn will be very rewarding.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky. It is within binocular range of
several attractive clusters and nebula. It is just within range of the Lagoon and Triffid nebulae and
is coming closer to the bright globular cluster M22.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Occultation of Delta1 Tauri by the Last Quarter Moon (23 February 2018)

-

Evening sky on Friday, February 23 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 20:58 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). The waxing Moon is near the
Hyades. Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen).

The inset shows the Moon at 23:21 ACDST, when the Moon is about
to cover 𝛅1 Tauri. Timings for major cities are listed in the table below.

For many locations in Australia the First Quarter Moon occults the close pair of stars 𝛅1 and 𝛅2 Tauri in the Hyades star cluster. These are reasonably bright stars, readily visible to the unaided eye, but the
occulation is close to the horizon. As the darf edge of the Moon covers the stars you should see them abruptly wink out.

Even if you do not have a clear horizon watching the Moon drift towards the pair of 𝛅1 and 𝛅2 Tauri in the beautiful Hyades cluster will be fascinating.

For many locations, especially on the east coast and central states you will need a flat clear horizon to see the occulation (example horizon views are shown below). This will mean that most telescopic observation will not be possible due to the low angle of elevation, and the dimming of the stars close to the horizon means the occultation may be best viewed with binoculars.

Location of the Moon above the western horizon as seen from Melbourne at 00:01 AEDST on the morning of the 24th, just as 𝛅1 Tauri is occulted (click to embiggen)

Location of the Moon above the western horizon as seen from Adelaide at 23:58 ACDST on the evening of the 23rd, just as 𝛅1 Tauri is occulted (click to embiggen)

Location of the Moon above the north-western horizon as seen from Perth at 21:40 AWSTon the evening of the 23rd, just as 𝛅1 Tauri is occulted (click to embiggen)

Tuesday, February 20, 2018

The Sky This Week - Thursday February 22 to Thursday February 28

The First Quarter Moon is Friday, February 23. At this time it is in the Hyades cluster, and occults some brightish stars. Mars,
bright Jupiter and Saturn form a line together with the bright stars
Antares and
Spica in the morning skies. Saturn is in binocular range of some interesting nebula. The
asteroid Ceres is visible in
binoculars.

The First Quarter Moon is Friday, February 23. At this time it is in the Hyades cluster, and occults Delta 1 and Delta 2 Taurii. These are reasonably bright, but the occulation is close to the horizon. The Moon is at Perigee, when it is closest to the Earth, on the 28th.

Evening sky on Friday, February 23 looking west as seen from Adelaide
at 20:58 ACDST (60 minutes after sunset). The waxing Moon is near the Hyades. The inset shows the Moon at 23:21 ACDST, when the Moon is about to cover Delta 1 Taurii.

For many locations in Australia the First Quarter Moon occults the stars Delta 1 and Delta 2 Taurii. These are reasonably bright, but the occulation is close to the horizon. and may be best viewed with binoculars.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (60 minutes after sunset, click to embiggen). Occulation times for Melbourne is midnight, Sydney is 00:16 on the 25th and Perth is 20:31.

Morning sky on Saturday February 17 looking east as seen from Adelaide at
5:21 ACDST (90 minutes before sunrise). Mars is moving away from
Antares.

The large inset is a
simulated binocular view of Saturn. Saturn is close to the Lagoon and Triffid Nebulae and the globular cluster M22. The small inset is a telescopic view of Jupiter at 1:30 am Sunday February 25 ACDST as Io and its shadow cross Jupiter s face.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (90 minutes before sunrise).

Evening sky on Saturday February 17 looking north as seen from Adelaide
at 23:55 ACDST the asteroid Ceres is close to the bottom star of the constellation of Cancer, the crab.

The inset is a simulated binocular view of the area around Ceres.

Similar views will be seen throughout Australia at the equivalent local
time (click to embiggen).

Black and white binocular chart suitable for printing (click to embiggen
and print).

The large circle represents the field of view of 10x50
binoculars.

The asteroid 1 Ceres is relatively easily visible in binoculars until
around the middle of this month, it fades during this time.

Ceres is relatively easy to find. It is above the northern horizon just
before midnight , and is below Iota Cancerii (the bottom brightish star
of Cancer. You may need to watch night to night as the asteroid moves to
be sure of its identity.

Venus returns to the evening twilight. but is very difficult to see, being just a finger-width above the horizon 30 minutes after sunset.

Jupiteris rising about midnight, it is very high in the morning sky above the northern horizon and is moving away from Mars.

Mars is moving down the body of Scorpius the scorpion. Mars moves away from
Antares
(the rival of Mars) over the week but is still reasonably close to see
the contrasts of the two different red objects.

Saturn climbs higher in the morning sky. It is within binocular range of
several attractive clusters and nebula, including the Lagoon nebula and
the bright globular cluster M22.